Overview
- Afghan authorities reported that Pakistani forces fired into Spin Boldak as talks resumed in Istanbul, and said Taliban troops held their fire.
- A district hospital official said five civilians were killed — four women and one man — and residents reported light damage, with calm returning on Friday.
- Pakistan disputed the Afghan account, saying shots were initiated from the Afghan side and describing its response as measured while maintaining the truce is intact.
- Qatar- and Turkey-led negotiations are seeking a verification and sanctions mechanism after an earlier round in Istanbul stalled.
- October clashes left heavy casualties, with the UN citing 50 Afghan civilians killed and 447 wounded and Pakistan reporting 23 soldiers killed, against a backdrop of mutual militant-support accusations.